THE REAL TRAGEDY OF ZIMBABWE (PART ONE)

by Rev Mufaro Stig Hove

PRELIMINARY REMARKS:


I really wonder how much is actually spent in describing the Zimbabwean situation (whether you call it a crisis, a tragedy or whatever.) I’m talking about the time, the resources and whatever is spent in debating and describing it.

I similarly wonder how much is spent in “fighting Mugabe and ZANU-PF.” One may say there are no mercenary forces, guerrilla fighters etc fighting the Mugabe Regime. Think-tanks have recommended that Mugabe and ZANU-PF will be fought in many other ways other than through military means.

There are no sanctions as such against Zimbabwe. Having said that, one is acutely aware that mention of the following names causes many would be investors to develop a serious cold. Mention “Mugabe”, “ZANU-PF”, “Zimbabwe” and the temperature of any group of people anywhere in the world suddenly boils up.

There are extreme views in any group of people. Some consider Mugabe and ZANU-PF as heroes of the stature of the Rev Martin Luther King, Jnr etc who fought for the rights of their peoples. I have received lots of e-mails from various groups in the African and Arab world who wonder why a simple black man like myself would not embrace Mugabe and ZANU-PF.

I’ve been taken to task by numerous ANC Officials here in South Africa who wonder why a simple black person like myself would actually set up a blog to write against Mugabe and ZANU-PF. Do I have white persons paying me to demonise Mugabe and ZANU-PF?

It is in that light that politicians like Cde Thabo Mbeki and even Cde Jacob Zuma decide to take the extremist view of supporting Mugabe and ZANU-PF under cover of a policy their dubiously call “Quiet Diplomacy.” I received an e-mail from a group in the Arab World which said they were busy collecting various implements to assist with the new farmers in Zimbabwe as if it would somehow shake me into some strange mood.

In the same breath, we have fervent anti-Mugabe activists who will label as CIO anyone who would find some positive thing in Mugabe and ZANU-PF. Fortunately I’ve been through all that myself before.

In “The Zimbabwe Intelligence Forces and the Zimbabwe Crisis Part Two”
(http://chinja.blogspot.com/2007/11/zimbabwe-intelligence-forces-and.html ), I fully described how I sincerely tried to get to the bottom of what was really wrong in Zimbabwe. I participated in broadcasting on 3FM supporting what at face value appeared like the black man’s fight for economic emancipation (by way of acquisition of land, among other resources.)

My purpose of writing this particular submission is to enumerate clearly the issues that those Zimbabweans who are against Mugabe and ZANU-PF have against that Mugabe and ZANU-PF. Note well that there may be nothing particularly new I may enumerate. The difference is that some of us have decided to join the struggle against Mugabe and ZANU-PF because we are closely linked to the same Mugabe and ZANU-PF and hence wield the capacity to cause them greater damage.

Please ask yourselves why my numerous writings are not being challenged by the likes of Ceaser Zvayi, Reason Wafawarova, etc.

To certain extremists in the “Opposition Forces” it shows that I’m one of them.

Is my writing of “Is Robert Mugabe the Master-assassin?” acceptable to die-hard ZANU activists?

Is my writing of “The full submission on the rigging of the Zimbabwean Elections” also acceptable to these ZANU-PF Propagandists?

(Links to both these articles and many more are at http://www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com/ ).

So when I collect all material that seriously “demonises” Mugabe and ZANU-PF, its still perfectly in order? Mugabe and ZANU-PF do not mind that, some of you think.

No…..you are completely mistaken (those that suspect me of being a CIO Operative.) You have a right to suspect anybody but never allow your anger to cloud your judgements such that you end up stabbing the very surgeon who is supposed to operate on your ailing body.

SO WHAT’S THE REAL TRAGEDY OF ZIMBABWE?

It may appear a simplistic answer but the real tragedy of Zimbabwe is a single individual called Robert Gabriel Mugabe. You may say, “Mr Hove you want to shift the blame that must be spread to many (yourself included) and you want to lay it at an old man’s door.” Well lets go on with my line of argument.

1……….ZANU-PF has always been led by Robert Mugabe as far back as the 60s. Robert Mugabe is solely accountable for anything whether good or bad which was executed by that ZANU-PF.The complication of judging Robert Mugabe is the “fine line” under which he operated during the guerrilla war of the 70s. Many Opposition activists forget that Robert Mugabe is in reality a guerrilla fighter now wearing a black suit and residing at the National Guest House.

Here is the “fine line”: Mugabe and ZANU-PF had to remove Ian Smith and the Rhodesia Front. The ZANLA fighters had to kill anyone who was suspected of collaborating with the Rhodesian Government. Numerous innocent people died after their enemies misled the guerrilla fighters into believing that they were Smith’s informers. Personal scores were scored by individuals and they misinformed the guerrilla fighters who then give orders for the beating to death of numerous innocent villagers.

Where am I leading to here? The same deception has been used by the very leaders of the political party, ZANU-PF. Assassinations have always been part of the history of mankind but what’s terribly sad is the reason why certain individuals are eliminated.

There are reasons why Cde Hebert Chitepo was assassinated and I referred to that in my submission “Why the SADC/Mbeki Initiative cannot and will not solve Zimbabwe’s problems”
(http://zimfinalpush8.blogspot.com/2007/12/why-sadcmbeki-initiative-cannot-and.html)

Although Mugabe and ZANU-PF don’t want to admit it, Cde Tongogara was assassinated and there are reasons why he had to be eliminated. There is no person who is assassinated without reason and without that person having received some warning of some sort. This is the same the world over. If you go through the film “The Bush link to the Kennedy Assassination” (and that video is available at http://www.zimgossiper.blogspot.com/ ) , President JF Kennedy really stretched the patience of his very lieutenants. Check out the video and see what I’m talking about.

Now Cde Mugabe wields enomous power within ZANU-PF. As I mentioned in “Is the Nation of Zimbabwe ready for the earthily departure of its ‘father’?” (http://zimfinalpush8.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-nation-of-zimbabwe-ready-for-earthly.html ), and other submissions, ZANU-PF is exactly like the Mafia. The most senior member leads the group and only death removes him/her. The main reason is because there is too many skeletons in the cupboards at State House and elsewhere and Mugabe would never be safe anywhere in the world if he stupidly agreed to step down.

Mugabe’s problem would be if the others would “sing” and he would not be in power to silence them or at least intimidate them into silence. Nobody should ever pretend that they don’t know why Mugabe cannot retire.

Now Mugabe has presided over a completely evil Regime. I’m meeting people who quietly fled Zimbabwe and did not shout to the world about the evils of ZANU-PF. Some are feeding me with vital information which I periodically use in my submissions without mentioning my sources.

But for an incomplete list of persons who were allegedly assassinated during the Mugabe reign, please visit http://www.finalpushzim.blogspot.com/ and check for “Is Robert Mugabe the Master-Assassin?”. Check there as well for “Dr Joshua Nkomo’s letter to then Prime Minister Mugabe” which he wrote from Britain in 1983. Read the whole 117 points and judge for yourself. Was Dr Nkomo persecuted by Mugabe or not?

The “fine line” is in the fact that Mugabe would demonise an individual and the gullible thugs would tear that person apart. Some like Dumiso Dabengwa are still alive today and if they wanted to tell their stories, they would tell very depressing stories indeed.

They, however, keep quiet partly because they claim they want to keep the 1987 “Unity Accord” alive and partly because they would have to leave the country if they started “singing” too much.

Those like Mr Simon Khaya-Moyo are earning in precious forex so they are just feeding their children and have no intention of “rocking the gravy ship.” When the time comes I will say what discussion I had with the same Simon Khaya-Moyo. When all this is over, they will say we were not happy with what was happening but we were afraid to speak out.

Those stinking hypocrites.!

2…….. Cde Robert Mugabe has seriously abused a whole Nation and a number of generations. Many living revolutionaries who strategized and fought with him during the 60s and the 70s find it difficult to abandon him now. There is a huge group of revolutionaries eg Richard Chemist Hove, July Moyo etc who lament that no matter how tough or wrong it is, they will die in ZANU-PF.

But they will never be led into a debate about the evils of Robert Mugabe. The main reason is because they went along with that evil for so long that they feel it would be dangerous to (as they think) “disintergrate now”.

Their question is : “Ko tingaenda kuno umwe musangano upi isu takura kudai?” (“Which other Organisation can we go to now when we are this old?”) The truth is: They are too afraid to face the painful truths which the Nation both wants and needs to know about.

The abuse of the Nation by Robert Mugabe stems from the fact that as Executive President, he personally has security and can cause commotions which do not personally affect him.

What was wrong with Margaret Dongo forming another Political Party? Was her house not stoned in Harare and her supporters assaulted and murdered?

What was wrong with Edgar Tekere forming another Political Party? Were his supporters not assaulted and murdered with Patrick Kombayi escaping certain death by receiving expensive specialist treatment in Britain?

So the Nation of Zimbabwe has never known real democratic freedom. The arrival of the MDC in 1999 brought another test which Mugabe and ZANU-PF predictably failed. Like I said in my latest submission “Democracy: Misunderstood, Deliberately Distorted or Deliberately Abused?” (http://zimfinalpush7.blogspot.com/2007/12/democracy-misunderstood-deliberately.html ); ZANU-PF “blew it” completely.

They thought they would “crush” the MDC as was their custom for the past 30 years but apparently the bone is too big for them to swallow. Tsvangirai and the MDC are being advised by too many intelligent, disgruntled persons and everyone knows that its either now or never. In Mugabe’s very offices are angry persons who cry to Tsvangirai to never give up.

Then comes the Western world which was getting unhappy with Mugabe for various reasons. The last straw was the violent Land Grab. But never think the Land Grab was the only reason. There is the issue of single-handedly going into the DRC to prop up a Dictator who was supposed to negotiate internally with his political compatriots.

There was general rampant corruption which was increasing unchecked throughout Mugabe’s reign of repression. Mugabe was generally viewed as Mr Clean but his “tolerance” of corruption perpetrated by his own wife Grace Marufu/Goreraza/Mugabe, Leo Mugabe, Phillip Chiyangwa and numerous others made many brave writers to ask questions.

So the abuse of the Nation of Zimbabwe by Mugabe is in the fact that the very head of Party, Government and State was appearing to be a Mr Clean yet he was the most corrupt and the most evil (assassinations etc.)

So Robert Mugabe is the real tragedy in the sense that no sensible dialogue can ever be undertaken while he is still alive. Cde Emmerson Munangagwa once sent Colonel Dyke to meet with the MDC Leader in the very early years of the formation of the MDC but Mugabe breathed fire and brimstone.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE TRAGEDY IS NOT THE LAND GRAB, OR OUR FORMER COLONISERS, OR THE WHITE WEST.

THE TRAGEDY IS NOT A “SANCTIONS REGIME” AGAINST A REVOLUTIONARY BLACK GOVERNMENT.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THE TRAGEDY FACING ZIMBABWE IS NONE OTHER THAN CDE ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE (CORRECTLY KNOWN AS MATIBILI.)

Rev Mufaro Stig Hove.

http://www.zimfinalpush.blogspot.com/